Blue Hair and Love
by Gray
Summary: Akito tries to come to grips with his feelings for Yurika and finally realizes just what she means to him. I will continue this eventually. Added Chapter 4!! Please R+R
1. Default Chapter Title

Disclaimer: I don't own Nadesico or any of it's characters, and I humbly present this fanfiction in dedication to Nadesico's creator Kia Asamiya and his oh so great creations. So without further ado, here is my fic. (How's that for a disclaimer? Pretty lame huh? Yeah thought so. O_o.) Please R+R by the way!   
  
Martian Successor Nadesico  
Blue Hair and Love  
By Gray, For Jessica  
  
Akito "Lady's man" Tenkawa was sitting in his assigned quarters on the battleship Nadesico enjoying his favorite pastime. Now most would think that this was gaining conquests of the female persuasion, but in truth, Akito wasn't much of a "lady's man." They chased him of course, but he never took advantage of them or anything. In fact, he did his best to discourage them. He wasn't homosexual or anything, he just didn't know how to deal with all that attention. So, the guys were all jealous of him, and the girls all wanted him. (Well, three to be exact, and maybe a few more.) And Akito watched anime. That was what he was currently doing: watching anime. Gekigengar to be exact. It was his favorite after all. He was currently watching the episode where Ken met the mysterious girl Aquamarine, and fell in love with her. It was probably Akito's favorite episode of all, simply because Aquamarine was exactly the kind of girl he wanted. Sweet, kind, pretty, and she could cook. These were the qualities he wanted in a woman, weren't they? Akito thought of the three main women in his life. There was Ryoko, the green-haired pilot who had gotten him out of several tight spots in the past battles against the Jovians. There was Megumi, the cute purple haired Comm. Officer who made it quite clear how she felt about him. He had even kissed her for crying out loud. Even if it was a sort of spur of the moment thing, he still took her first kiss! His thoughts then turned to the girl who was the most confusing to him. "Yurika." He breathed. Such an odd yet strangely fitting name for the captain of the Nadesico and his oldest childhood friend. He wasn't really sure how he felt about her. The other two he liked as friends and just couldn't think of them otherwise, but Yurika... She was his friend yet he always felt like there was something else there. He even had strange dreams about her that made no sense. He knew she liked him, but he figured it was a simple childhood crush and nothing more. A silly infatuation that would pass any day. He also knew that many other guys had their hearts set on her as well. Nagare, the hotshot jerk pilot from Nergal, who wanted her as a conquest. And Jun, another childhood friend of hers who loved her dearly. As his thoughts of Yurika swirled in his spiky head, and Ken screamed the name of Aquamarine in sorrow on the screen in front of him, Akito thought of Yurika's hair. It was such a bright, and pretty shade of blue. It shined and glittered as she walked along. It was long and had a few funny little curls and tangles but was otherwise straight. But most of all, it was so... Yurika. It seemed to almost define her. Her trademark blue locks that cascaded from underneath her cute little Captain's hat and flowed down her back like some sort of ethereal waterfall. Then there were her lips... "Ahhh!" Akito yelled as he snapped open his eyes that had drifted shut during his thought analyzation. He noticed that the screen he had been watching Gekigengar on was blank, indicating the end of the episode and it stared at him ominously. He switched the screen off and just sat for a minute, blinking his eyes slowly. Then he thought of Yurika again. "Argghh! I don't even like the crazy blue-haired nutbar! She's just my friend!" He yelled form within his head. But a quitter but no less clear voice spoke differently. "Yes she's your friend, but you want to make her something more don't you? Why else would you dream and think of her constantly?" Akito cursed to himself and clutched his head, closing his eyes tightly. He willed the little voice to go away, but it still remained. Sighing and calming down, he opened his eyes and decided to engage in his other favorite pastime, that of cooking. He had always wanted to be a cook and tried to train whenever possible. He casually opened the door of his humble little abode and strolled through the stark hallways of the ship towards the kitchen. As he walked he thought of blue hair and pink lips. Cursing again, Akito strolled faster.  
  
The kitchen of the Nadesico was pretty ordinary looking. It had all the things a kitchen that served a crew as large as the Nadesico might need. Rows and rows of ingredients, lots of materials like pots, pans and silverware, and several people who worked there. Today however it seemed empty. Akito walked in, snatching an apron on the way and made his way towards the pots. He felt like making some sort of soup dish today and grabbed a fairly good-sized pot with a lid to match, and picked up a stirring spoon as well. He was just about to head over to the ingredients closet and decide what type of soup to make when he detected the sounds of happy humming coming from a corner of the kitchen. Getting a bad feeling about the whole thing in general but mustering his courage anyway, Akito peeked over in the humming's direction. What he saw made him gulp for two reasons. The first was that Yurika was standing there, and she was cooking! Something that had practically been deemed illegal onboard the Nadesico, simply because her food was so toxic and inedible that it had once put Jun in the hospital for weeks. Akito himself had sampled it a few times and barely escaped with his life. However, the second reason he had gulped was because of what she was wearing. Yurika was normally attired in her Captain's uniform, which showed no skin at all. Now however, she was garbed in a tight midriff which showed off the area above her rear quite nicely form Akito's viewpoint. She also wore a pair of tight brown shorts, which clung to said rear as if they had been painted on. It didn't help that she moved her whole body in time to her humming. Akito sweated and gulped again. He stood there staring for several minutes and barely registered Yurika's exclamation of "It's done!" She then turned and Akito knew he was in trouble. "Oh! Akito!!! You saved me the trouble of looking for you! Did you come to try my cooking! You're just too sweet! I promise you'll like it this time! So come on, try some!" Akito gulped yet again and backed away slightly. "Ah, yes, well Yurika, I'm kinda not hungry right now so I thought that..." Akito saw Yurika's face fall and felt like dirt. "Oh... Well that's okay. I'll uh, just throw this out then." She said despondently. Akito groaned to himself and walked over to her, causing Yurika to look up at him with her big, beautiful blue eyes. "Blue like her hair." He thought. "Yurika, I, I'll try some of your food." He said somewhat nervously. Her eyes widened and she smiled. "Oh thank you Akito! I'm so happy!" She hugged him happily and Akito was aware of every curve of her body, including her ample upper areas. He blushed and tried to think of something else. Like his impending death through poisoning. One look at Yurika's beaming face and he thought that maybe it was worth it. Yurika placed some of what apparently was curry in a spoon and placed it in his open mouth lovingly. At first Akito tasted nothing. Then after about five seconds the "curry" seemed to explode with awful flavor. It tasted like old vinegar mixed with sawdust. It was sour and dry at the same time. The last thing Akito saw before he fainted from the terrible taste was Yurika's worried and sad visage.  
  
It was also the first thing he saw upon awakening from his impromptu nap. As he opened his eyes and groaned slightly, he saw Yurika's worried and sad face turn relieved and happy before it became completely sad. She turned away, not wanting to see his angry face. He glanced around his surrounding and noticed that he was in Yurika's room. It had lots of odd knick-knacks lying around but was still meticulously clean. He saw her uniform sitting on a chair and realized that he was lying on her bed. "She dragged me all the way to her room?" He then turned his attention back to her. She still had her head turned away and he noticed how fragile and sad she looked. He supposed he should have felt angry at her for poisoning him yet again, and yet he didn't. Maybe it was out of pity, or maybe it was something else. All he knew was that he just wanted to see her happy and bubbly again, like she usually was. So with that thought in mind Akito placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to gently turn her to face him. When she finally did he saw the tears in her eyes and gasped softly. "Yurika... You're crying. Why?" She sobbed quietly and faced him. Even crying she was gorgeous he thought, which was odd since he never thought of her like that. "I'm so sorry Akito. I try so hard to cook for you, to be the kind of girl you want, and it always goes wrong. I always hurt you instead." She cried softly for a few more seconds with Akito slightly dumbstruck before she lifts her head again, this time with a determined if still teary expression her lovely face. "From now on Akito, I won't cook for you. I don't want to hurt you anymore." Akito's eyes widened and he placed his other hand on her opposite shoulder. "Yurika you can't do that! You're determination in everything you do is one of your most endearing features. You never give up! Even when we were kids you didn't. You always did your best to cheer me up or give me hope when I was sad." Akito didn't know why he was trying to get her cook when it practically threatened his life, all he knew was that if she stopped cooking, he felt like she just wouldn't be Yurika anymore. His Yurika never gave up. Yurika stared at him in wonder for a moment before sighing softly and laying her head on his chest. "You're right Akito. Thank you for always being there for me when I need you." She murmured into his chest. Akito smiled to himself and hesitantly wrapped his arms around her small frame. Yurika grinned and burrowed her head deeper into his chest. Akito's thoughts swirled once more. "Why am I hugging her like this? More importantly, why does it feel so right?" The answer hit him like Gekigan Flare (tm). He loved her! He, Akito Tenkawa, loved Yurika Misumaru. His oldest and fondest childhood friend who he had shared his first kiss with when they were younger on Mars. Hr looked down at her and suddenly felt the urge to kiss her once more. So, he unwrapped his arms from her and placed them on her shoulders again. She looked up and inhaled sharply. She saw the tender and loving look he gave her and dared to hope. Hesitantly, their faces both drifted towards each other. Their lips met and they kissed fiercely. Yurika pressed her tongue into Akito's mouth and probed it eagerly. He was shocked at her initiative but simply responded in kind. Her lips were far sweeter than Megumi's, and the kiss was electrifying for the both of them. They pulled away after a bit, both panting for air and still staring at each other. They both blushed furiously and wore happy expressions on their faces. "Akito..." "Yurika...chan." She grinned at him in response to his new name for her and he smiled back. "I love you." They said at the same time and they smiled wider. Akito stared into her eyes and felt his heart swell with happiness. Who cared that she couldn't cook? So what if she was kinda clumsy? These things were what made her Yurika. His Yurika. He loved her, he always had. He continued to stare into her eyes and once more thought of their color. "Blue, like her hair."  
  
Author's Notes: How was it? Pretty bad huh? Well, it's my first actual fanfic and so it was kind of an experiment. I did a Nadesico fic because I love the series and think that there aren't enough fics for it. Come On people! Write Nadesico fics! Plus there are no Akito+Yurika fics out there that I have seen. If you know of one, please let me know or send it to me. I am also looking for proofreaders for my stories so e-mail me at grayson_san@hotmail.com if you are interested.   
Oh Yeah! Please Review this! Good or bad is fine, I don't care. Just review it please.  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. Default Chapter Title

Disclaimer: I don't own Nadesico or any of its characters, so don't sue me Mr. Asamiya ok?  
  
Nadesico: Blue Hair and Love Part 2  
By Gray  
  
Akito groaned as he woke up after an intensely pleasant dream about Yurika. He had confessed his feelings to her and they had kissed. The kiss had been incredible and he could still feel it lingering on his lips as if it had really happened. Then Akito's eyes widened in shock as he realized something.  
"It wasn't a dream! I really did tell her I love her and I really did kiss her." He grinned like an idiot and began to get ready for the day in earnest.   
In another area of the Battleship Nadesico, another person was also waking up. This person had blue hair, was the captain of the ship, and was named Yurika Misumaru. Yurika smiled happily as she recalled the previous night. Everything had been so perfect.  
"Well, except for me poisoning him again. But he forgave me." Yurika's smile widened. Akito was so sweet, and finally, he was hers. After years of pining away for him, her dream had finally come true. She stretched the kinks out of herself and got out of bed. She padded over to the bathroom and after taking a second to grin to herself in the mirror, she headed for the shower.  
Megumi awoke blearily. She had gotten little sleep last night. She kept having a nightmare about Akito choosing Yurika over her.   
"But that's impossible, Akito loves me. He did take my first kiss after all." Feeling more satisfied, she crawled out of bed and flicked on the music player she kept near her bed. It began playing her favorite song. It was a love song that went to an anime she had voice acted in once. She had played a character that was in love with the male lead. The guy had fallen for another girl however, and her character had been left behind. It had been really sad to her even though it was only a show.  
"Thank goodness it was only an anime and not real life." For some reason that thought didn't comfort her, and she hurried to get ready. She needed to see Akito badly. She had a bad feeling about the day.   
  
The various members of the Nadesico's crew met at the bridge to receive their orders for the day. Admiral Munetake gave them out with an arrogant smirk that more than one crewmember wanted to wipe off badly." Attention everyone! We have new orders today! We are to escort several U.N frigates that carry civilians who escaped from the last Jovian attack to a shelter located in the U.S. I want all of our pilots to report to the hangar for duty. Hopefully our new computer won't give us any problems like our last one. Let's go people! We have no time to waste." Everyone was getting sick of Admiral Munetake but they knew they had to deal with him as he was technically in command. Yurika muttered under her breath about idiotic military Admirals and where they could shove their "new orders." But she brightened as then thought of her new status as Akito's girlfriend and felt much better. She smiled at Akito and he looked away blushing slightly. Megumi noticed this and muttered an obscenity. No one heard however as they were all muttering their own thoughts about the Admiral.  
  
Akito walked behind the other pilots as they all strolled towards the Aestivalis hangar. But while the other pilots laughed and talked merrily, he was lost in his own thoughts. He just knew that something bad was going to happen now that he had made his choice. He was relieved that he had finally made the right decision of course, but he just couldn't shake the feeling that something awful was going to happen. Ryoko noticed his distress and cast a worried glance his way, Nagare noticed this and smirked. Ryoko noticed and shot him a glare. Nagare smirked wider and continued to brag to the bubbly Hikaru about the time he had single-handedly defeated twenty Jovian battleships. She nodded at him as if in a trance, captivated by his heroic, and complete bullshit, story. Izumi trudged along also as if in a trance. But her trance was self-induced.   
"I'm gonna go squish me some lizards mommy! Giggle! The only thing we have to fear is fear itself, and of course coleslaw." The others chose to ignore her ramblings for fear of understanding them and thus going insane.  
  
Akito grabbed Megumi and swept her into his arms. He stared into her eyes and kissed her passionately. He whispered sweet nothing in her ear and his hands strayed to other areas of her body. Megumi urged him on in her passion filled voice and he... yelled her name forcibly. Megumi was snapped from her daydream by the voice of Minato. The Helmswoman shook her and said her name again.   
"Megumi, it looked like you were zoning out there. We need you to be awake now. The pilots just took off and we are about to make contact with the frigates." Megumi nodded and Minato smiled at her before sauntering back to her own seat. Megumi sighed sadly. Yurika had been in a particularly good mood today and there could be only one reason for that. And that was a reason that Megumi didn't really want to think about. So after glancing at Yurika's grinning face one more time and sighing once more, Megumi tried to concentrate on her job and will thoughts of Akito and Yurika away.  
  
Akito lazily glided alongside one of the transport frigates that he was assigned to protect in his Aestivalis. The Nadesico sat in the middle of the formation of ships with the shuttles alongside it and the Aestivalises on the outside, forming a defensive barrier around the formation. Akito's thoughts drifted again to Yurika and her lips on his. It had been amazing. His memory of their first kiss back when they were kids was one of disgust, as he was too young to appreciate it. But now the incredibly passionate liplock she had laid on him was permanently engraved in his mind. He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment, and nearly got fried by a missile. Cursing to himself he noticed several bogeys of the Jovian kind at his side. After relaying the message to the others, he immediately opened fire with his standard issue rifle on the incoming enemies. He nailed two before the others broke away. He powered up his distortion field to full and took all their fire. He noticed that more were coming and that they were surrounding the Nadesico and the transports. He counted five battleships and dozens of the smaller batta ships on his side alone.  
"Looks like we walked right into a trap." Nagare's voice said over the comm. Akito cursed the arrogant pilot for being such a master of the obvious. Especially when the obvious was that they were all pretty much screwed.  
  
Author's notes: How was that for chapter 2? Once again this was kinda short I know. But between Thanksgiving and an extremely annoying deadline for my article that goes in my school newspaper, I've been kinda busy. Anyway, I should have chapter 3 out pretty soon, unless something else comes up (Insert loud groan from sleep deprived Gray here). Remember people, please write more Nadesico fics, I feel so alone here. Also please R+R. Thanks! Now I am going to get some sleep. Thank you and goodnight.  
P.S If you have not bought or played Shenmue for Dreamcast or FF9 for the Playstation, do so! They are great games. Also check out my new Shenmue fic in the miscellaneous rpg section of the games section of ffnet. Thanks.  
  
  



	3. Default Chapter Title

  
  
Disclaimer: Nadesico isn't mine...But I wish it was!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Nadesico: Blue Hair and Love Part 3  
By Gray For Jessica  
  
  
  
  
"I just wanted to be a cook...why do I have to keep fighting?" Akito thought to himself as he forced his Aestivalis to maneuver around several incoming missiles. So far he and the other pilots had managed to take out a fairly large number of enemy ships. But the ridiculous difference in numbers pretty much assured that they would lose in a drawn out battle.  
"If only we didn't have to concentrate on defending these transports, then we could have a chance."  
  
Yurika watched in fear as Akito and the other pilots were slowly overwhelmed by the enemy forces. She winced as Akito took a particular nasty hit. He was okay though and continued fighting.   
"What can I do? How can I help them? Akito, tell me what I should do, please!" These thoughts whirled in her head as she desperately tried to think of some way to help her beloved Akito and the others. But what could she do? There was only so much a captain could do in a combat situation like this one. She glanced around at all the various faces of her crew. Erina's scowl, Minato's encouraging smile, Megumi's sad visage, and of course Ruri's blank stare. Yurika then closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes again they were bright and optimistic once more.  
"Akito, I know you can win. You have my support. The only thing I can do right now is believe in you, and I do. So for all our sakes Akito, you have to win."   
  
Akito cursed as a stray missile struck his aestivalis in the side. He swerved to the left to dodge another barrage and opened fire on the offending batta. It exploded into a shower of flame and Akito breathed a temporary sigh of relief. Then he was hit from behind by several missiles which caused him to cry out slightly.  
"Tenkawa! Pay attention! Otherwise get the hell out of my squad!" Nagare's arrogant voice blared on the intercom as Akito ground his teeth in frustration. Choosing to ignore the annoying pilot and focus his anger on something else, Akito spied a cluster of enemies nearby. He flew straight to them and before they could react, he dropped a grenade right in the center of them. The results were predictable. Akito grinned slightly.  
"Sure am glad that Uribatake equipped us with these new midair grenades!" He thought to himself. He then noticed more enemies approaching and groaned.  
  
Megumi watched in terror as her Akito was buffeted by Jovian attacks. He continued to fight valiantly however and she felt so fortunate to have him as her boyfriend. He hadn't actually admitted this fact yet. But she knew that it was the truth. Just as Ranma loved Akane, Kenshin loved Kaoru, or Heero loved Relena, she was sure that Akito loved her.  
  
Akito dodged another missile barrage and yanked out his Aestivalis knife thingy(tm). He then thrust it directly into the center of a batta, causing the mechanical bug to die out and plummet to the waters below. Akito finally noticed that the Nadesico and the transports were now crossing over water. He then glanced over at the other aestivalis pilots. They were all holding their own but it looked like it wouldn't last.   
"I have to do something, and fast!" The cook/pilot thought to himself as explosions echoed around him in every direction. He watched as more and more jovians appeared with the single purpose of killing everyone onboard those shuttles and then the Nadesico itself. He watched as a batta targeted one of the shuttles and prepared to shoot a volley of missiles at it. Cursing to himself, Akito swerved and rushed towards the batta, pushing his aestivalis to the limit and it's thrusters beyond that.  
"Please let me make it in time!"  
  
Everyone onboard the Nadesico watched in silent hope as Akito raced towards the lone batta. They all held their breaths for fear of disturbing the moment. The other pilots, too far away to help, also watched. Even the arrogant Nagare silently prayed for Akito's success. As for a certain captain with blue hair, she had her eyes closed in prayer as well.  
"Please Akito, you can do it. I know you can."  
  
Faster and faster the aestivalis went. Yet to Akito, it seemed like everything was going in slow motion. He saw the batta release it's missiles, a large swarm of angry locusts, ready to devour the shuttle that was targeted. He saw a little girl in a window of the transport watch the missiles in fascination and fear. But most of all, he saw that he wasn't going to make it in time.  
"God no..." The little girl's eyes widened and her mouth opened in a silent scream that would never end. The missiles struck the transport and caused over half of its structure to explode with the roar of an enraged lion. Akito could only gape, his eyes wide, as the severely damaged craft finished exploding and what little was left plummeted into the icy waters below. He clenched his eyes shut and willed the little girl's face to go away. But it wouldn't. Akito angrily clenched his fists, his breathing became labored, and sweat pooled along his brow.  
"I failed..." He whispered.  
"They're all dead, all of them. Because of me."   
  
Th-thump...  
"My fault..."  
Th-thump...  
"All my fault..."  
Th-thump...  
Th-thump...  
Th-thump...  
  
"ARGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
Everyone onboard the Nadesico heard Akito's cry of rage and sorrow. Megumi covered her ears. Minato bowed her head. Yurika slumped into her seat and watched as a single tear fell from her eye and shattered onto the shiny floor beneath her.  
"Akito..."  
  
Inside the cockpit of his aestivalis, Akito "Lady's man" Tenkawa sat with his head bowed, and his eyes obscured. One thing escaped his lips.  
"No more..." His hands sought out the controls once more.   
"No more..." His head lifted, showing emotionless brown eyes.  
  
"No more..." The nano-machines on his hand glowed with power.  
  
"NO MORE!!!!!!!!!!!" He screamed as his aestivalis rocketed towards the main jovian fleet.   
Back on the Nadesico, everyone was awestruck at his apparently suicidal attack. Then Uribatake's face appeared on the main screen.  
"Captain, I'm not sure why, but according to my data, Tenkawa's aestivalis is operating at a level that is unheard of. It's going ten times faster than normal, and it's distortion field is over 300 times stronger than average." Yurika and everyone else blinked several times.  
"How is that possible." Erina finally asked.   
"The only thing I can come up with is that somehow he is getting his nanomachines to operate at a heightened level. This would in turn carry over into the aestivalis, thus making it operate faster and more efficiently. Tenkawa seems to have more control over his nano-machines than other pilots somehow."  
Erina nodded slightly.  
"Could it have something to do with why he is able to bosen jump?" She thought to herself.  
  
Akito's aestivalis tore through the jovian ranks. Annihilating half the fleet in a few short minutes. The enraged pilot then turned his attention to the other half. He grinned almost sadistically and launched himself at them. His distortion filed expanded and anything caught in it was immediately destroyed. He flew right into a large battleship and exploded out the other side, causing it to detonate. He laughed and smashed through an entire squadron of batta. Within another few minutes, the other half of the fleet was dust. The scattered remnants of the attacking lizards fled immediately. Akito chased them right until they entered the chulip. He was about to follow when Yurika's face appeared on his screen.  
"Akito, that's enough! Please, return to the ship. It's over." Akito seemed to snap out of his trnace and nodded slightly.   
"O...okay Yurika. I'll be right there. He then turned his aetivalis around and flew back to the Nadesico. If he had looked own, he would have noticed that his nano-machines flashed once before returning to their normal color.  
  
  
  
  
Author's notes: Whew, that was a toughie to write! Not only did I have writers block for a while, but it was hard expressing what Akito was feeling in this chapter. Seeing the latest Nadesico, which is volume seven, helped though. Anyway, sorry that this one isn't very romantic, but I had to get the big fight scene out of the way. In the next part, Akito must deal with his guilt, and the others must deal with a new and different Akito.  
Please R+R!!! Even if you hate me! Let me know! Thanks, bye!  
P.S If I spelled bosen jumping wrong, I apologize. That's how it sounded in the anime...  
  
  



	4. Blue Hair and Love: Chapter 4

Disclaimer:……………….you know the drill.

# Blue Hair and Love: Part 4

## _"Conflicts and Other Emotional Stuff"_

### By Gray

"My name is Akito Tenkawa… Up until a little while ago, I was just a penniless, wandering cook, with a decidedly bleak future. Then I ran into her… Well actually, her suitcase whacked me on the head, but anyway, after that, a chain of events occurred and I somehow found myself as a pilot onboard a space battleship owned by the largest corporation on Earth. Fate sure is funny isn't it? Now, now I don't know what to think… Things have changed too quickly… We admitted our feelings, and then everything went to hell the next day. I couldn't save that girl… Now she, and all those people are dead, because I wasn't fast enough. It all came rushing out after that. All the aggression and anger I had bottled up inside of myself since my parent's death came bursting to the service. And I annihilated an entire Jovian fleet single-handedly. Now everyone aboard the ship looks at me with fear in their eyes. Not that I can blame them of course. The only ones who even talk to me anymore are Ruri, Ines, and Yurika. Megumi is afraid of me, and Ryoko is the same. Sigh, man, I really should have stayed a cook…"

In a dimly lit room, a man sits with his knees drawn up to his chest. The only light comes from a screen in front of him. On the screen, various images flash. Images of a giant robot fighting monsters, and poorly animated people yelling out inspirational, if corny phrases. The man watches this when he has nowhere else to turn to. We all have our own individual escapes. When we don't want to face reality, we retreat into these escapes. Drugs, alcohol, TV, writing, whatever gets our mind off the painful truth. Because when it comes right down to it, reality hurts a great deal. The real world is a painful place. So the man continues to watch the screen in the dark room, because he does not want to face reality right now.

"Akito, where could you be?" Yurika thinks to herself as she wanders the halls of the Nadesico. With the battle over, and the majority of the shuttles safe, everyone was taking some time to relax. But of course, most couldn't. Not after seeing the product of nanomachines and one man's pain. 

"If only I had known he was in such pain, I could have helped him…" She thought sadly as she peeked into another room, hoping to see his familiar face. She had already checked his room, her room, the kitchen, and many other various places he usually frequented. But so far, she had found no trace of the spiky haired pilot/cook who held her heart.

"Oh, Akito…" 

Megumi sat on her bed, hugging a stuffed animal to her chest. She too needed to escape reality for a while. On the screen in front of her, she watched a show she had voice-acted in once. But she kept replaying a scene in her head, over, and over. His anguished scream, and the raw destruction that followed in his wake. It was frightening how easily he destroyed those ships. What would happen, if he ever turned on the Nadesico she wondered. Would he spare her life, or even consider it? Would he show no mercy just like with the lizards? Megumi hugged the animal tighter. 

"Akito…"

Ryoko sighed sadly as she watched the various engineers fix up her aestivalis. She had received less damage then the others, probably because she was farthest from the enemy, when the initial surprise attack occurred. She silently stared into the mech's cold, lifeless eyes. It stared back at her, and she looked away after a moment. She heard footsteps and saw the familiar form of Dr. Ines Fresange stand next to her. The two women stood in companionable silence for a few moments, before Ines spoke up.

"You know, it helps sometimes, to talk about it…" Ryoko whirled on her angrily.

"Talk? Talk!? You want to talk!? An entire shuttle of innocent people is dead. A guy whom I thought was a gutless wimp for the most part, suddenly goes nuts and destroys an entire enemy fleet with one aestivalis, and then up and disappears on the ship, and you want to talk? She asked incredulously. Ines was unperturbed as always and replied coolly.

"Well what do you expect? Do you have any idea how stressful Akito's life has been since he was a little boy? There's only so much one man can take! He's only human!" Ryoko sighed again and looked away.

"A human doesn't single-handedly obliterate a whole armada…" Ines sighed herself and also looked away.

"No, no, one certainly doesn't…" This time, the silence stretched for a much longer time, before Ines finally walked away. She stopped, but didn't turn around.

"I know where he is right now you know… He's in the former Admiral's room. Probably to get away from everything…" She then continued walking.

Ryoko just stared at the aestivalis again, and didn't move. 

"Why does life have to be so complicated…" She muttered.

The man has laid back now. The episode is over, and the new one is starting, but he is beyond caring. The fact that everyone is afraid of him now means little to him. Once again, he is beyond caring at this point. He briefly contemplates leaving. But he wills that thought away moment later. He was sick and tired of running away from his problems. Then what was he doing now? He questioned. He didn't know, he was beyond caring. The opening theme played.

"Can you hear tomorrow's dreams call…" He whispered, but no one heard.

Jun Aoi cursed to himself as he saw his unrequited love wander off again in search of her own. It hurt to admit, but he knew that Tenkawa had won before the game had even begun. 

"And now this…" He muttered. He was a soldier, so he could handle things like violence and whatnot, but what scared him was the fact that this could have happened at anytime. What if Akito had gone berserk back when he had dueled him? 

"I'd be dust right now…" He thought as he noticed Yurika coming back and heading down to another wing of the ship. It was sort of funny how even with something that had the rest of the crew scared stiff, she still searched for her love and sought to comfort him and ease his suffering. These thoughts used to hurt, but now it was just sort of a dull ache for him. He smiled sadly as he watched her go.

"I hope, that I find someone who loves me that much someday…" He thought to himself.

Yurika groaned in surrender as she closed yet another door.

"Another dead-end…" She muttered. It seemed that she would never find her darling. It was obvious that he just didn't want to see anyone right now. She wished he would talk to her though. It hurt to think that he was avoiding even her. It was enough to bring tears to her eyes, but she willed them away.

"I have to be strong now! Strong for both of us!" With that thought, she decided to try one more place: the old room of Admiral Fukube. She figured it was worth a try.

He was alone in a world of darkness. The screen was dead, and the room was completely black. He was the master of this world though. He was the prince of the darkness… It obeyed him. He held up his hand, and the symbol engraved upon it shone, creating an aura of bright light. He watched as it grew brighter until the entire room was bathed in light. He fought it, the darkness was causing the light! His soul, consumed by evil, was producing a blinding power that he could not control. Angrily, he willed it away. But it remained. Then the door slid open.

"Akito?" The light vanished, and the man looked up at the doorway.

"Yurika…" He breathed.

Yurika cautiously entered the dark room, calling out his name questioningly. She heard his barely audible reply and rushed over to his slightly illuminated body.

"Oh Akito! I've been looking everywhere for you! I'm so glad you're alright!" He bowed his head sadly.

"But I'm not…" She looked at him questioningly.

"Huh? What do you mean?" He looked up and met her blue eyes with his brown.

"Never mind… You should get away from me Yurika… I don't want you getting hurt because I can't control myself…" He turned away, ignoring her hurt gaze, and walked over to the corner of the room.

"In fact… I think you should forget about me…" He said. Her eyes widened, and she started to cry. He cursed himself, but remained strong. Then her eyes grew angry.

"Oh no! Akito Tenkawa! I am not going to just walk away and leave you! Not after I spent so long without you! All those years without you… I couldn't bear to go through it all again…" He looked at her curiously. She bowed her head sadly.

"I, I can't stand to not be around you…" She looked up at him, and her eyes grew tender.

"You're my best friend, my knight, and most of all… the one I love, and have always loved…" His face registered shock at the tenderness she was exhibiting, it was so very sincere and heartfelt. 

"So please… please, let me help you get through this… I know you have a lot of pain locked up inside you, but maybe, maybe it would help if you just talked about it with someone… So for once in your life Akito, Talk to me… Let me in…" He stepped over to her, earnestly touched by her words, and embraced her. They were both crying now, but they're tears were ones of cleansing and joy. They both felt a great weight lift from their hearts, and Akito tilted Yurika's face up to him, and slowly kissed her. She returned it passionately. Trying to let him know just how much she loved him. Their bodies slowly sank to the ground, and together, they escaped… 

**Author's notes:** I apologize for the ridiculous amount of time it took me to update this, but real life can be a cruel mistress, and I also felt compelled to write other stories in the meantime. Anyway, I hope that this chapter is a little better than the last few. I admit it's a bit choppy, but it's hard to get across the character's feelings without being a little disjointed. I'm also sorry that I don't really put much comedy into my Nadesico story, but well, this a serious story, so I felt that adding humor would detract from that, so sorry… Anyway, I hope it wasn't too bad… Please review! And you can expect the next chapter to have more action in it, as the climax of this series draws near… Oh yeah, and did you catch the little Nadesico movie reference? Pretty stupid, I know, but it seemed to fit…


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